Woodland Park School District News

Welcome to the Woodland Park School District e-Newsletter, which is sent out weekly when school is in session. It serves as a glimpse of some of the wonderful things going on in our schools, as well as a point of reference for upcoming events.

Your Partner in Education,

Michele R. Pillari, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools

All students in grades 5-8 attended an assembly last Friday morning at Memorial Middle School sponsored by the Woodland Park Municipal Alliance Against Alcoholism & Drug Abuse. The presentation, Steered Straight, educated the students on the dangers of smoking, vaping, and drugs aiming to steer them to making sound, rational decisions through a learning experience that provides a message of reality to help them make positive, informed choices.

Michael DeLeon, founder of Steered Straight, is an ex-offender who after 20 years of drug addiction, spent 12 years in state prison and halfway houses for a gang-related homicide. Since his release, he has dedicated his life to educating youth.

The prior afternoon, District teachers were given a professional development session and there was an evening event for parents and the community, which was more graphic than the student presentation (sample slides from parent presentation shown below).

“Drug use is worse than it’s ever been and it’s only going to get worse,” DeLeon told the parents. “The only way to end addiction is to stop it before it begins. You need to talk early and talk often to your kids.” He recommends dinner table talks as he noted that kids would be five times less likely to use illegal substances if there is an involved family that has regular chats about the dangers of addiction. These talks should start in kindergarten. “Kids need to hear the truth from their parents, as they are less likely to believe untruths from their friends.”

Drugs are coming over from China via the ports that are Narcan-resistant (anti-overdose). “We used to have four times the customs patrol stopping it from coming in,” DeLeon said. “It’s not Mexico, it’s all coming from China.”

Vape pens that children and teens are getting a hold of are being laced with Fentanyl, heroin, and other substances. “They’re being repackaged and sold at your local gas station.”

DeLeon showed dozens of everyday products during his presentation kids are using to vape and products disguised and marketed as commercial snacks and candy that contain marijuana. “Check out the documentary Big Vape on Netflix, it will absolutely blow your mind. Vapes are coming in 7,000 flavors now. We don’t have 7,000 flavors of anything, not even ice cream. I even checked your local Creamery.”

Parents and guardians were implored to visit the Steered Straight website for a vast amount of free educational and eye-opening learning courses and resource materials.

Students chose an element from the periodic table to build a model of in Ms. Brink’s fifth grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School.

In Mr. Krakower's seventh grade science class at Memorial Middle School, students are diving into a hands-on lab where they will determine landslide risk in the fictional town of Pineville. Using materials like sand, soil, and rocks, students simulate different slopes and test how heavy rainfall impacts them. Their challenge is to recommend a safe location for builders to construct homes, considering the risk of landslides after rain. By applying critical thinking and engineering principles, students will evaluate their models and suggest the safest building site based on their findings. This lab integrates real-world problem-solving with scientific investigation.

Ms. Wittig and Ms. Balduzzi's PreK-4 class at School 1 dressed in blue on Monday as part of the School District’s observance of World Day of Bullying Prevention. They are investigating in their “beginning of the year” study about how to make and keep friends. They all agreed that we need to be nice to each other.

Ms. Stompone led a science lesson in Ms. Gutierrez third grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School that tied into their force and motion unit. Students focused on gravity. They worked in partners to make predictions on what object would hit the ground first, and then they tested their predictions.

Students in Room 201 invited Mrs. Gutierrez to their class to learn about her role as the Principal at School 1. They created a chart of questions to ask Mrs. Gutierrez. One question was to show them the functions of the walkie-talkie and the school's intercom. Students were able to pass the walkie-talkie and look at its features. Finally, students helped Mrs. Gutierrez make an announcement using the intercom.

Students are engaged in the after care program, which is managed by the Borough Recreation Department. A new activity calendar will be rolling out (for the first time) this month and the kids had an amazing nature walk last week. They created art projects with what they gathered. There is a lot more fun planned this month including Halloween crafts, creating an after care banner, and robotics classes.

Students in Ms. Simpson’s fifth grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School had a fun time last Friday cozying up and using flashlights during their independent reading time. They loved it!

Mrs. DiBona's third grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School was so excited to welcome their first mystery reader, Mrs. Santiago The class was given a clue every day during the week to try and guess the reader. They really enjoyed Mrs. Santiago reading the book Feeling Boo and discussing how it's OK to feel a little boo and long as you have friends to get you through!

Our preschool team recently joined together at School 1 for an interactive workshop on Best Practices used within their classrooms. Teachers and support staff divided up into groups and they brainstormed ideas on what high quality practices in early childhood should be based on our Danielson Evaluation model. Teachers had in-depth conversations and shared ideas of strategies and teaching styles that worked over the years with teachers just beginning their teaching career with teachers who have been practicing their craft over a period of time.

Dr. Pillari and members of the Board of Education hosted Sweets With the Superintendent at Beatrice Gilmore School Monday evening, where parents were invited to talk about topics and concerns related to Beatrice Gilmore School. There will be future events for parents with children at other schools (Nov. 4 for topics relative to Memorial Middle School, Dec. 2 for topics relative to Charles Olbon School, and TBD for topics relative to Pre-K).

School 1 nurse Ms. Link came in as a special visitor to Ms. Herbert’s PreK-3 class to speak to the children about her job. They learned all about what a school nurse does and had the opportunity to ask her questions (and show her all of their bumps and bruises).

Students at Charles Olson School have been working hard on the routines and procedures in their new classrooms. Savanna in Ms. Hope’s second grade class turned in the fuzzies she earned for a coupon to read to another class. She chose to read one of her favorite books to Ms. Webb’s first graders. Way to go, Savanna!

A student in Ms. Tobia’s PreK-4 class pretended to be the teacher and worked on retelling The Gingerbread Man.

Sixth and seventh grade families, order your Memorial Middle School 2024-2025 yearbook today and save. The yearbook price is currently $34 and goes up to $37 on Oct. 27. All eighth grade students will receive a yearbook thanks to a generous donation from the Home & School Association Eighth Grade Committee. Yearbooks can be ordered here.

Volunteer trunks are needed for the Municipal Alliance's annual Trick or Trunk on Oct. 31. This event CANNOT happen without the community's help! There are currently only 19 trunks signed up. The event needs 40-50 to be a success. Registration for children to attend will not open until enough trunks are registered. Attendees are asked to bring a bag of candy as admission to offset your costs. To volunteer your trunk, please email your name and phone number to wptrunks@gmail.com as soon as possible.

Registration is now open for the Borough's annual Halloween parade for PreK to fifth grade children, to be held Saturday, Oct. 26 at 10.m. at Dowling Gardens. Registration is required and can be done here.

The Woodland Park Police Department will host the fourth annual Faith & Blue event tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 12 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Memorial School field/blacktop. The free event is aimed to strengthen community relations between law enforcement and our youth. There will be games and activities, as well as free food, snacks, and drinks. All are welcome!

The Alfred Baumann Library, 44 Rifle Camp Rd., will host the following programs. Visit the Library's website here or Facebook page here. Its phone is 973-345-8120. Email is library@abwplibrary.org.

Saturday, Oct. 12, 11 a.m. - Arts & Crafts for grades PreK-4. Make a spooky spider-themed craft for Halloween. Register here.

Monday, Oct. 14 - The Library is closed in observance of Columbus Day.

Tuesday, Oct. 15, 6:30 p.m. - Craft Crew for grades 4-9. Meet monthly to make cool, creative, crafts! This month, we are painting Spooky Snoopy! Register here.

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 4 p.m. - Snails & Tales story time for ages 3 and up. Join for a new theme each week, with stories, songs, rhymes, and a craft. Register here.

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.

Thursday, Oct. 17, 11 a.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here,

Thursday, Oct. 17, 12 p.m. - Sit & Fit. Have fun exercising from the comfort of your chair. Join this lively exercise group and have some fun! Register here.

Thursday, Oct. 17, 4:30 p.m. - Family Movie for all ages. Enjoy snacks and a showing of "A Nightmare Before Christmas." Register here.

Friday, Oct. 18, 10:30 a.m. - Little Movers story time for ages 18-36 months. Join in for new adventures weekly including stories, rhymes, songs, and play time. Register here.

Saturday, Oct. 19, 11 a.m. - Lego Mania for all ages. Join in for a fun morning of creativity. We supply the Legos, you supply the imagination! Register here.

Monday, Oct. 21, 4 p.m. - Books & Barks for grades K-5. Register for a 10-minute session with Daisy, our lovable registered therapy dog! It's the perfect chance for kids to practice their reading skills in a relaxed and non-judgmental environment. Register here.

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 1 p.m. - Crafternoon for adults. Enjoy creating a beautiful craft to take home. All supplies are included. Register here.

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 6:30 p.m. - Spooky treats for grades 1-4. Make healthy and spooky treats for Halloween. Register here.

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 6:30 p.m. - Library Advisory Board for grades 5-9. Learn how to brainstorm, plan, and execute your own program ideas as well as aiding in collection development. Snacks will be available. Register here.

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m. - OverBooked Book Discussion Group. Gen X and Millennials are welcome to join this book discussion group. Copies of the book are available at the Library or downloaded on Libby or Hoopla. Register here.

Thursday, Oct. 24, 4 p.m. - Halloween bingo for grades K-4. Prizes are available for all winners. Register here.

Thursday, Oct. 24, 6:30 p.m. - Spice of the Month Club. Expand your spice palate! Each month pick up a new spice and a recipe. Then, meet to discuss your opinion and what you made containing that spice. If you choose to you can bring a dish that you have prepared for all to sample. Register here.

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Email: mpillari@wpschools.org
Website: www.wpschools.org
Location: 853 McBride Avenue, Woodland Park, NJ 07424, USA
Phone: 973-317-7711